Recently in the architectural community there was discussion around the need to have a thermal break in the concrete ground floor of a house where the attached garage is within its footprint, but outside of the thermal envelope, and how to achieve this in a buildable and structural manner.

It seems that finally the problem of summer over-heating of newly built medium-density housing, especially terrace housing, is gaining traction and being noticed by the mainstream media where it is starting to become a subject of public comment and discussion.

In mid-July 2024 it was reported that the Building and Construction Minister sought advice for a possible review of the cost increases resulting from the recent implementation of the improved insulation requirements of the 5th Edition of NZBC clause H1 (Energy Efficiency).

Are we driving blindly forward with our eyes firmly focussed on the view in the rear vision mirror? Our energy future is not going to be as it has been in the past.

While it has been sensible for the former use of single glazing in house windows to be replaced with double-glazing, it now appears that there is the beginning of a move for new housing to be fitted with triple-glazing. Why?

When it is being reported that Terrace Housing has overheating problems, is it just the direct experience of individuals in particular buildings who don’t recall all the Terraces which are not a problem, or is there a trend with current materials and regulations which are not as appropriate as they could be?

For housing design and construction is there such a strong link between passive thermal performance, (before heating & cooling appliances are activated), and the embodied carbon content of the dwelling so that these two important design objectives must be locked together in a single analysis?

Are we moving in a direction where continuing and narrowing analysis of evermore finer detail of particular aspects of building elements is assumed to automatically leads to better results?

While concrete floors on grade are a common choice for new homes, there are negative characteristics which only become evident in extraordinary circumstances, at which times the outcomes are usually disastrous.

I have full sympathy for the households and businesses affected by the recent floods in the upper and eastern North Island. I wish them well for the difficult and long task of recovery which must not be left to them alone. It is up to, and has been so for many decades, the Politicians and Built Environment Professionals to take our heads out of the sand and diligently look to a different long-term.